German minister says India’s submarine project yet to be completed, Berlin in race for contract

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday (June 6) that the process related to India's proposed procurement of six submarines was yet to be completed and that the German industry was at a "good place" in the race for the contract. Pistorius arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a four-day visit to India, the first by a German defence minister since 2015.

After holding wide-ranging talks with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Pistorious addressed a press conference where he was asked about the submarine deal. "The procedure is not finished yet, but I think the German industry is at a good place in that race," he told reporters.

One of the top contenders for the contract is Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).

Submarine project figures in talks between Pistorious, Singh

According to a report by the news agency PTI, officials earlier said that India's plan to procure six stealth conventional submarines at a cost of around Rs 43,000 crore figured in the talks between Pistorius and Singh, and the former showed Germany's interest in the project.

In June 2021, the Indian Defence Ministry cleared the project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the navy. The submarines would be built under the much-talked-about strategic partnership model that allows domestic defence manufacturers to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce high-end military platforms to reduce import dependence.

Germany can do more in Indo-Pacific: Pistorious

German Defence Minister Pistorious also said on Tuesday that his country could and ought to do more in the Indo-Pacific in a partnership with India given the sense of unpredictability surrounding it.

"And we need strategic partners like Indonesia, like India, for example, to make sure that the law of free navigation and the free trading routes will be achievable during the next decade too," Pistorious said during the press conference and pointed out that Europe has a role to play in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We have totally agreed about the German and European role in the Indo-Pacific. We agreed that more engagement of Europe and Germany is necessary to play a relevant part in that game — it is not a game, but you know what I mean," he added.

The German defence minister also indicated that his country will deploy military assets in the Indo-Pacific next year as well.

(With inputs from agencies)

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